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Knowledge

The knowledge that remains from the Capital of Culture

The experience of being a European Capital of Culture gave us a valuable wealth of knowledge. We learned how to engage different target groups, how to build trustworthy collaborative relationships both at home and abroad, and how to make culture accessible and meaningful to as many people as possible.

These experiences and lessons do not disappear with the title year. On the contrary – the knowledge created will support future cultural organisers. We have preserved the best practices and models that can be further developed and applied in Tartu, Southern Estonia, and elsewhere in Europe. The knowledge gathered during Tartu 2024 will help new creators avoid mistakes, be ambitious, and carry out more impactful cultural projects.

We hope that the legacy of Tartu 2024 lives on in future ideas, the courage to experiment, events, and people.

Enivronmentally friendly event management,

As the European Capital of Culture title year comes to an end, the Tartu 2024 guide to environmentally friendly event management will remain accessible. Its principles have been followed in organising all Capital of Culture events. In the future, the guide will continue to apply to events and initiatives in Tartu that receive support from the city.

Tartu is the first European Capital of Culture to place such a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability in event organisation.

Accessibility of culture

Tartu 2024 demonstrated that accessibility is a natural part of cultural life. The Capital of Culture offered accessible events for audiences with special needs across all participating counties and supported organisers with practical training and materials. People with disabilities were also creators and spokespersons of events, contributing to the programme with, for example, the outsider art exhibition “Hidden Worlds Expanding” and the festivals “Diversity Enriches” and the Experience festival “Special life”.

The expanded sustainability guide, to be completed in 2025, will bring together existing guidelines on environmental responsibility and advice on ensuring better accessibility. The guide will serve as a resource for anyone looking to organise more inclusive and sustainable events.

Youth Programme Extended

The youth programme Extended continues with its fourth year. Extended continues with its fourth cohort. So far, young people aged 14–19 have organised 28 events, attended by nearly 17,000 visitors. Future cultural leaders are also supported by a specially developed elective course for basic and upper secondary schools, as well as the Tartu 2024 youth programme methodology guide, to be completed in 2025.

The cultural management course at Tartu Tamme Gymnasium has already been held twice.

Volunteers

Since 2022, 4,672 volunteers have supported the initiatives of the European Capital of Culture. To further boost volunteer engagement in cultural life, the strategy and training materials created within the framework of the Capital of Culture will remain available on the Tartu 2024 website. Together with the state and local municipalities, a vision for the volunteer sector in Southern Estonia will be developed.

Volunteers have contributed 106,786 hours to the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 between 2021 and 2024.

Tartu 2024 Final Report

The final report of Tartu 2024 will present the behind-the-scenes of its organisation. During the Kultuurikompass Forum on September 18-19, we will present a summary that provides an overview of Tartu 2024’s journey, from the initial bid idea to the completion of the title year.

Additionally, the report will analyze the successes and lessons learned from the Capital of Culture and how Tartu 2024 has impacted the cultural sector and economy of Southern Estonia. The report will also be published on the Tartu 2024 website in both Estonian and English.

For the final report, data collection will be conducted to assess the impact of the European Capital of Culture on the residents, entrepreneurs, and policymakers of Southern Estonia. Additionally, extracts from Statistics Estonia, mobile service providers, and analyses of project reports will be used.

Kultuurikompass

The Cultural Compass will continue to show the right direction. The main organiser of Kultuurikompass, which brings together cultural organisers, creatives, and decision-makers, will be the city of Tartu. The Kultuurikompass Forum will take place on September 18-19, 2025, to present the final report of Tartu 2024.

So far, 20 Kultuurikompass events have taken place, empowering nearly 3,000 cultural organisers.